Communist Currency Forging?

Delta Force

Banned
What if communist countries had decided to wage economic warfare against capitalist countries by forging their currency? They could use the currency to purchase goods from abroad, weaken capitalist economies, and score some propaganda victories. At the same time, communist countries would be relatively immune to direct reprisals, as they don't use currency for as many things (some not even at all). Domestically central planning and/or rationing would offer a defense, and internationally bartering was common for communist countries.
 
What if communist countries had decided to wage economic warfare against capitalist countries by forging their currency? They could use the currency to purchase goods from abroad, weaken capitalist economies, and score some propaganda victories. At the same time, communist countries would be relatively immune to direct reprisals, as they don't use currency for as many things (some not even at all). Domestically central planning and/or rationing would offer a defense, and internationally bartering was common for communist countries.

The Americans say they are a bunch of dicks and stop selling grain. Famine followed by backing down or nuclear war take your pick.

Economic warfare favours the side with an actual economy.
 
A lot of Communist countries depending on capitalist countries to prevent economic collapse. For instance the Soviet Union imported a massive amount of grain from the US. If they decide to wage such economic warfare then those imports and other economic aid just stops and the economies come crashing down. As deathscompanion1 said you really can't wage economic warfare if your economy is dependent upon the enemy.
 
Some forging of currency did occur. A few millions per year, mostly used to fiance small grade operations outside the US, or Western Europe. Cash used to pay a local agent, buy some goods, whatever came out of a Soviet, Chinese, Korean, East German, currency printing shops. In terms of global counterfitting it was not exactly overwhelming. Go to Africa, certain south Asian locales, parts of South America & the odds are better than 50/50 the US dollars you find in use are counterfit.
 
What if communist countries had decided to wage economic warfare against capitalist countries by forging their currency? They could use the currency to purchase goods from abroad, weaken capitalist economies, and score some propaganda victories. At the same time, communist countries would be relatively immune to direct reprisals, as they don't use currency for as many things (some not even at all). Domestically central planning and/or rationing would offer a defense, and internationally bartering was common for communist countries.

I'm sorry, but why would they do this? If you look at the history of the Cold War, the Communists were mostly concerned with protecting what they had and if they were going to have a fight it was usually with each other. As far as east-west relations goes, it was the West that was aggressor in the vast majority of instances. A better question might be what if some Cowboy Cold Warrior (think Reagan on steroids) decided to try it against them, though the answers already given would probably still be applicable.
 
It's one thing to forge a few million dollars here and there. It's a whole nother matter to forge billions. If you forge enough, people will see it for what it is and assume your currency is worthless and no longer accept it. And given the Soviets held billions of dollars in European banks, which they used for international trade (eurodollars), the West would freeze their assets if this activity occured. So, they would lose access to foreign markets and foreign trade while doing nothing to the economies of the West.
 
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